Many types of platforms, such as computing, communication and entertainment systems or devices, increasingly include wireless communication capabilities. Typically, the platform is configured to include or accept a wireless communication module/circuit or network interface card (NIC) configured to provide communications over a wireless local area network (LAN or WLAN) or wireless wide area network (WAN or WWAN) using one or more communication protocols. Generally, the manufacturer of the platform and the manufacturer of the wireless communication module may be different entities. In some cases the platform vendor may install the wireless communication module while in other cases a re-seller or end user may install or replace the module.
Wireless communication modules generally require some form of regulatory certification, independent of the platform, for example to address potential health and safety concerns as well as interference issues related to radio frequency (RF) emissions. Transmit (Tx) power levels, that need to be declared to regulatory authorities, may be targeted to their intended platform family of products, for example laptops, notebooks or mobile phones. The Tx power levels may be chosen to comply with safety test targets such as specific absorption rate (SAR) tests, but these may depend on the type of platform and anticipated usage scenarios. One approach is to reduce the Tx power level of the wireless communications module to comply with a worst case scenario, but this may result in an undesirable performance reduction for many other types of platforms and/or applications. Another approach is to manufacture different versions of the wireless communication module, employing different Tx power levels, with each version targeted to a platform or family of platforms. This, however, creates logistical problems that may become unacceptably complex for large scale manufacturing and distribution operations.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.